


Appreciation

by NixtheSixth



Category: Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir
Genre: Background Poly, Canon Divergent, Cav/Necro Sex, F/M, I have a thing for calling him Pala and I will not apologize, I'm terrible at tagging, Longing for Dulcinea, Nobody Dies, Palamedes is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:53:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21689404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NixtheSixth/pseuds/NixtheSixth
Summary: Palamedes would mope himself to death over Dulcinea. Luckily for him, Cam won't let him.
Relationships: (Implied Camilla Hect / Dulcinea Septimus), (Minor Dulcinea Septimus / Palamedes Sextus), Camilla Hect/Palamedes Sextus
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Appreciation

**Author's Note:**

> This is really my first time trying to write explicit content, so please be gentle?

_The best part of me was always you_

\---

Camilla had just stepped out of the shower and was finishing drying her hair when she heard Dulcinea's soft voice coming down the hall. The source of the noise was where Cam expected it; oozing softly from Palamedes' chambers and she smiled softly to herself as she made her way within. 

The only real light in the room was coming from the tablet carefully balanced on Palamedes' knee, reflecting Dulcinea's beautiful blue eyes and soft bubbling laughter back up at him from her video. The Warden himself sat in a high backed, plush chair that faced away from the door and toward a holographic fireplace. 

On the Sixth, the Library would have never allowed such danger as a _real_ fire, but the effect the appearance of dancing flames had was soothing and helped take away some of the chill on the long nights as they orbited far away from Dominicus. 

Palamedes didn't look up when Cam entered the room, possibly too lost in his thoughts or the whiskey glass he held surreptitiously in his free hand. He watched the video to its conclusion; a tiny Dulcinea waving goodbye and promising to see him soon. 

Cam came to the chair and rested her arms on the top as she watched the end with him.

"Won't be long now, will it?" she asked quietly when it became clear Palamedes wouldn't play it again. 

Only the slightest shift of his head toward her voice acknowledged that she had spoken for a long moment. He shifted the ice in his glass. "Two weeks," he replied, finally. 

Tracing her fingers along the fabric of the chair as she moved, Camilla came to the front of it and very gently took the tablet from Palamedes' loose grip. She made sure it was secure on the side table a little further away and then put herself in his lap without pretense. His arm curled around her waist automatically, lending support to her lower back, and his head rested against her chest where her torso met her arm. 

They had cuddled like this many times, sometimes affectionately, sometimes not. With Cam, it really depended on the day and the mood she was in. 

That night however, she wanted everything Palamedes was willing to give, and maybe a little he wasn't. He would argue that it was unfair to call his mood of late "moping," but a spade was a spade no matter the color. 

He missed Dulcinea terribly and that _longing_ made itself known in everything he did for almost a month before her annual arrivals. 

The only thing worse than a visit from Dulcinea was when she left, but Cam would burn that bridge when they came it. 

For now, she just wanted her necromancer back. He had been so _moody_ and listless of late that Cam was almost convinced she could have replaced him with a stuffed doll for all the conversation he gave. 

Whatever or whoever was curled up in the chair with her was not Palamedes Sextus. 

Palamedes was passionate, vibrant, and brilliant to the point of belligerence. He was _also_ soft, sweet, and downright _sultry_ when the mood struck him. 

Tracing her fingers lightly under his chin, Camilla raised his face to hers and stared into his deep grey eyes. Linking the fingers of her free hand to the roots of his scalp, Camilla massaged as she stared. 

While she may have been willing to share on general principle, Camilla was not giving Dulcinea Septimus one more moment of _her_ time. 

At least, _not tonight._

Palamedes blinked slowly at her, fidgeting with the glass he still held. "Cam?" he asked, softly. 

From his grip on her waist, he could tension pooled all throughout Cam's body, almost like she were waiting for something, but what?

"Palamedes," Cam replied, conversationally, as she took the glass from him and indulged a long sip. 

Pride alone kept her from coughing. 

She wasn't sure where Palamedes had dug his bottle from, but she was pretty sure it had been processed when God was a boy. 

Inwardly, Cam sighed. _Fucking Dulcinea._

Palamedes blinked again and rubbed his eyes under his spectacles with his free hand. "Cam," he began, voice faltering in places as he spoke, "what are you...what are we doing? You seem like you want...something?" 

Camilla considered her answer and gestured with the captured glass, "Are you done with this?" 

When Palamedes nodded, she finished the drink in one go, and, bracing herself against Palamedes arm, leaned back to set the glass far out of accidental kicking range were either party to suddenly stand. 

Stretch completed, Camilla resettled herself fully onto Palamedes' lap, legs straddling his hips. Face flushed from the stretch and the sudden rush of alcohol, Cam took Palamedes's face in her hands and leaned in to kiss him. 

He tasted like whiskey, honey, and the smell of old books. The kiss lingered for a moment; just on the cusp of sweet, but not deep, then he drew back. 

Seemingly more alert now, Palamedes ran his hands up Cam's sides and cupped them around her back, not quite touching under her breasts, but close. He looked away, his brow furrowed in a way Camilla had come to know meant several colliding trains of thought all vying for prominence. 

Cam waited calmly, hands tangled in his hair, gently massaging his scalp as he thought. 

With a deep sigh, he slid the glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. Finally turning his gaze back to her, he said, "Don't. You don't have to do this." 

Camilla paused, "I know I don't _have_ too; I _want_ to. Why are you resisting this? Do you not want me?"

Scowling, Palamedes dropped his gaze from her and glared into the fake fireplace. "It's not that," he replied tersely. 

"Then what is it?" Camilla insisted, gently rolling his head until he was forced to look back up at her. 

"I just...just…" he paused, chewing on his words. 

" _Palamedes."_ Camilla breathed, impatiently. 

Scowl deepening, he jerked back from her and looked away again. "I just don't want you to think this is...about her. Like...like I'm trying to substitute you for _her._ " 

Cam snorted very softly to herself and leaned in to kiss the top of his forehead. "Pala," she said, very gently, "The only thing Dulcinea Septimus and I have in common is that we're both women."

Smiling more to herself than him, she continued, "If I thought your interest was just skirt chasing, you would have already mounted that slutty little bitch from _Advanced Archeological Studies._ I've had knives shorter than those heels. What color underwear did she have on today?"

"Yellow," he replied instantly, albeit absently. 

"I will admit though," Camilla said, appraisingly, "her bend and snap is impressive." 

Here, Palamedes snorted. "The bend and snap only works successfully when the object of your affection _wants_ to look. Still, don't be too hateful of sluts, Cam. She gave me the whiskey." 

Camilla raised an eyebrow at him, "And what did you give her?" 

"15 minutes of my undivided attention and reference materials for her thesis. She's gonna be months ahead of where her advisor thought she would be. That's almost _better_ than dick, innit?" 

Remembering her own thesis, Camilla nodded in sympathy. "Almost."

Calmed by the banter, Palamedes slid his hands back down Camilla's body and grabbed her ass thoughtfully.

"You know," he commented, casually, "I wouldn't mind seeing you in something like that skirt. It's too many frills for you, I know," he added, before she could voice her protest, "but the thought is appealing." 

Shaking her head with a small laugh, Camilla leaned in to softly kiss him again. His hands stilled against her body. 

"Pala," she whispered, raising off him just enough to speak, "I can give you more than a thought if you'd let me." 

She leaned further into him and embraced him, pointedly shifting her weight on his lap. 

His body responded to her touch, but she felt, rather than heard, the frustrated growl course through him.

Irritated, she put her hands against his chest and leaned back to stare him in the face, "What, Palamedes? You say you want me _and I can feel you_ _do_ but you're still fighting this. Why? What has you so mentally in knots about this?" 

She could hear him gritting his teeth; " _The timing."_

Willing herself to be calm, Camilla inhaled slowly and mentally counted to ten.

When she felt certain her voice was _mostly_ stable, she carefully said, "Yes, I will admit that her voice is what directly drew me to your room tonight, but I've been wanting this; wanting you for several days now. You've been in such a fit and I'm sick of it. I want you to be happy; to be playful; to just... fucking smile at me every once in a while." 

" _Why_?" His voice was as soft and hollow as space itself. 

In response, Camilla popped his head up and made him look her in the eyes, "Because I love you. _Ya dork."_

It was the insult that made Palamedes crack the first real smile Cam had seen in days. 

Palamedes pushed against the back of her neck so their foreheads rested together and they stayed like that for several moments. With his free hand, he ran his fingers up and down the length of Camilla's body that he could reach, squeezing here and there periodically.

Cam purred against the touch and subconsciously shifted her weight to voice her intentions in his lap. 

Palamedes adjusted their position so he could kiss and lick her along the line from earlobe to shoulder while gaining better access to fondle ass and tit in turn. 

When her hands found the bottom of his shirt and began to pull, he leaned away from her and said, "Alright; alright, we'll do this, but first, I want to give you a gift for helping get me out of this foul mood I've been in. Will you let me do that? Please?" 

It was only the _please_ that made Camilla willing to be patient. Palamedes could be terribly polite, but he wasn't fancy to pleasantries when it was just the two of them. Whatever he was planning, he meant it. 

Nodding her acquiescence, Camilla took the hint that he wanted to rise and allowed herself to be led by the hand into the deeper sanctum of his quarters. 

The study just outside his bedroom was chock full of the mess one usually associated with genius, but the bedroom itself was nearly spotless. 

_Nearly have one mental break down trying to pass Third Circle exams and suddenly everyone's like, "You need to learn to disassociate yourself from work!"_

Camilla wasn't sure she how much she bought into the notion decluttering eased her necromancer's peace of mind, but it did make finding him to wake in the morning a hell of a lot easier. 

Palamedes led her to the bed with a soft and sweeping gesture, kissing the back of her hand like a knight before a lady before letting go. 

Promising her he'd return in a moment, he dipped into the bathroom through a nearby door and locked it behind him. 

Having to content herself and wait, Cam slipped out of the soft silk PJs she'd thrown on after her shower and folded them neatly on what (according to everyone involved in Palamedes' sex life) had been dubbed 'the voyeur chair.' 

Palamedes was equally voyeur and exhibitionist and some small thrill ran through Cam at the thought of Dulcinea's arrival solely for this purpose. Even put out with a tiny twinge of jealousy, Cam _did_ have to admit it was a hell of a lot of fun when Pala put on a show for the other woman. 

Gathering up a small mountain of black covered pillows, Camilla made a small nest and settled back into the material. She was propped into a reclining position and had started to get the tiniest bit sleepy when the door to the bathroom finally opened. 

Palamedes was wet, like he had dipped into the shower, but Cam didn't mind. Before her brain could process anything else about his appearance, her gaze met his face and stopped. 

He had been in the middle of ruffling his hair with a towel, but after taking her in, essentially displayed before him, he had stopped and stared at her with an expression of desire so intense it nearly bordered wrath. 

" _Cam_ ," he breathed, his voice completely lost to rasp, " _Come here. Please."_

They started moving at the same time, him walking forward to the bed and her crawling down off her would be throne towards him. 

They met at the edge of the bed, her legs wrapped around his waist and they kissed like he was trying to bury something inside her. 

They kissed until she ran out of air and had to reluctantly lean away from him, breathless. 

He grinned at her and raised his hand to snap his fingers sharply at the lights twice. The lighting dimmed to the ambience he preferred for this sort of thing; a parlor trick he had devised one night after being gagged for mutual pleasure. 

Kissing her more with the intention of making her lay back than pleasure, Palamedes kissed and pushed his way gently down Camilla's body until he could get one hand under her hips to lift and snake down her panties with the other. 

He lay there for a moment, head rested on her thigh, breathing in the scent of her. Then, without warning, he grabbed her hips and slid her to where she was slightly hanging off the bed and Palamedes could reach his area of interest while kneeling on the floor. 

He stood and paused over her for a moment, thinking. He then snapped up one of the fuller pillows from her makeshift throne, wrestled it under her hips, and resumed his place of reverence on the floor. 

It began in much the same way a French kiss might. 

Camilla had wrapped her legs over the tops of Palamedes' shoulders instinctively and he responded to the embrace by moving in closer to her body. He kissed along the inside of her right thigh and kissed into the mound where her thighs met. 

At first, the touch was light, almost innocent, _just_ a kiss, but then it grew into more. 

Palamedes tried to keep his hands to himself, using his mouth and tongue to touch all of the places he wanted to taste, but grew frustrated at the lack of depth provided such limitations. 

Using just the pads of his thumbs, he opened her like one might the petals of a rose and kissed the tight bundle of nerves he found at the core. When Cam sighed prettily for him, he sucked. When her gasp turned into a low, pleased, keening sound, he sucked harder. 

He continued applying pressure and swallowing rhythmically until Cam spasmed and unintentionally tried to sit up to get away from his mouth. 

He grabbed her hips, firmly, but not unkindly, and dragged her back into place. As he did so, he eased the assault on the tender flesh at his tongue and changed tactics. 

Sliding a little further down her body, Palamedes narrowed his tongue to a point and pressed into her, licking her in much the same fashion one would engage in trying to dislodge the pit out of a peach. 

Camilla writhed above him, locking and unlocking her ankles around his shoulders as she rode out the waves of her pleasure. The intensity of the feeling wasn't quite the crest of an orgasm, but it kept building to a higher and higher peak as Palamedes went on. 

Cam almost wanted to scream in frustration, but coherent speech was a lost cause, like singing in a foreign language, but forgetting the meaning of the words. 

Neither of them could have explained where the tipping point between tease and orgasm crossed, but Cam was suddenly engulfed in her pleasure and echoed it wordlessly for a long moment. 

Palamedes paused for only the slightest of heartbeats, considering the noise, but this wasn't the _loudest_ thing he had ever done in the wee hours of the morning and he _was_ the heir, so…

Deepening his intentions on Cam's quavering body, the last thought he gave his house was, " _We'll burn that bridge when we come to it."_

Camilla and Palamedes had a brief wrestling match over who had dominance regarding her waist and what lay beyond, but Cam was eventually able to wiggle out of his grip and scoot away from his evil, _lovely,_ little mouth. She knew from prior experiences that he wouldn't stop until his tongue had gone numb, had she let him. 

Palamedes crawled after her much like a large cat would, muscles flexing and popping at the sudden change in pressure at his shoulders; mouth pulled into a predatory grin. 

Panting, Cam scooted back to the mound of pillows and held her hand up to him; silently pleading for a moment of respite. Palamedes curled up on a pillow beside her, wrapping his legs around one of hers and gently ran a hand down the length of her body, careful to avoid any of the places that might make her too sensitive. 

"Was my thanks sufficient for being such a headache earlier?" He asked calmly, even conversationally. 

Cam caught her breath and laughed, flopping herself bonelessly onto the flat of her back. "Yes," she wheezed, amused and breathless, "Yes; I'd say you quite made up for _everything._ "

They lay together like that for a moment, just enjoying the touch of the other and then Camilla rolled onto her side and pressed her body more fully to his. 

"Considering this was about making _you_ feel better though, I'd say we aren't done." Linking her hands around his chest, Cam rolled him over her as she spoke, thereby neatly positioning him above and between her legs. 

Palamedes' smile was soft as he leaned down to kiss her and she responded in kind. When he didn't move, she lifted her body and brushed against his with purpose. 

" _Don't you dare stop now_ ," she growled, pressing his chest to hers. 

Palamedes laughed softly and rubbed the length of himself on the outside of her, making her writhe with the sensation. Cam was beginning to get impatient with him when he deliberately adjusted himself to where the head of him only rubbed her clit with each stroke. 

The sensation briefly made her mind go blank with the pleasure of it, but when she came back to herself, she wanted _more_. She wanted what all of this had been building too since she had first crawled into his lap. 

" _Quit being a tease_ ," she hissed, trying to raise her hips and force him inside her. 

Again, she was met with that terrible, quiet laughter. "Can't I show you how much I appreciate you?" 

" _Palamedes! I-"_

Cam wasn't sure what she would have said next because the crest of her indignation was met with Palamedes burying himself deep within her. It took more than one stroke to be properly seated at the hilt, but not by much.

They moved together; arms and legs locked around the other so they were as physically close as two people could be to one another. 

Palamedes intentionally buried his face in the pillow Cam was resting on; knowing himself well enough that he would have lost all semblance of self control if they kissed. 

The snap of his hips into hers eventually made Cam lose all sense of rhythm and she clung to him and the feeling he was building deep inside her. Behind her closed eyes, the sky was alive in exploding stars.

Finally, overcome with sensation, she ran a hand through his hair and forced him to look at her. Palamedes faltered for a moment at the euphoric look on her face and kissed her. His thrusts became intense, more erratic, until he finally drew away from her mouth and muffled his release into a pillow. 

He stayed propped up on his arms, trying to be decent and not trap Cam underneath him, but Cam wanted to feel the weight of him and pulled him flush against her. 

They lay in the silence until their breathing had calmed, holding one another. 

After they had cleaned up and Palamedes had turned the lights down low, they lay in the dark, his face pressed into her shoulder blades. 

He briefly squeezed her like a stuffed animal and, after a considering pause, said, "I know I might not tell you this as much as I should, but I really _do_ appreciate you, Cam, and everything you are to me."

In response, Cam linked their hands together and kissed his knuckles were they overlay hers. "I know, Pala. I know."

_One flesh, one end._


End file.
